WHEN SILENCE SPEAKS

The Audacity of Love

"When words failed us, we found solace in the graceful movements of sign language."

The Sacred Gesture: Sign Language as the Ultimate Body Art

My son's world was a silent one, a world I yearned to enter. When words failed us, we found solace in the graceful movements of sign language. It's our bridge, a visual symphony that transcended spoken language. Sign language is more than just a means of communication; it’s a profound art form in itself. Each sign is a brushstroke, painting emotions and stories on the canvas of the air.

The delicate flutter of fingers, the expressive arch of an eyebrow, it’s a living choreography, a visual poem sculpted in three dimensions that bypasses the ear entirely and speaks directly to the soul, an art form where the whole body is the instrument and the silence is the stage. But this visual symphony was born out of a terrifying silence I first had to learn to face.

A Mother’s Faith and the Shadow of the Climb

We often laud a person’s success story, celebrating the summit without acknowledging the treacherous climb. But I believe the true strength of a journey lies not in the triumphant shout, but in the quiet moments of surrender. In the years after my son’s birth, our world was defined by a terrifying silence, a silence we finally understood when he was diagnosed as deaf.

My husband and I were young, navigating early adulthood while I was still chasing my education. Reminiscing now, I can't imagine how scared he must've been. May his soul rest well; he only ever gave me a smile and a little sweat running down his face. The financial toll of specialized therapies was crushing. There were dark days filled with tears shed in frustration, moments where I dropped to my knees, utterly depleted, asking the profound, desperate question: Why us? The only thing that anchored my life during that impossible road was blind faith in my unwavering, stubborn belief in God’s plan. This was a path forged in fire, secured by love, and a testament to the fact that when words fail, faith endures.

Even before the diagnosis, as we struggled to get his hearing test done, we communicated through instinctive gestures. It was a mother’s instinct, a language of the soul that needed no words.

"This was a path forged in fire, secured by love, and a testament to the fact that when words fail, faith endures."

The Art of Instinct and the Sculpting of a Solution

When the diagnosis came, I was immediately faced with that inevitable question: "Now what?" This was the moment I became what I call a human force of defense. If I couldn't pay for the necessary therapy, I learned it. If something vital didn't exist in South Africa, I sculpted it into existence. I used my body as a shield, a promise that my son would have what he needed, whatever it cost my body.

My first act was immersion, enrolling myself in a Deaf and Blind Society school to learn basic sign language. This taught me that the beauty of sign language comes from within. Unlike the hearing world, where the tone of a voice conveys emotion, in signing, you must feel the emotion and let it bloom in the non-manual markers of the face and the fluidity of your hand, body to body. It's about instinct and feeling this moment, allowing your soul to be the tone, making it a language of incredible depth.

After my initial study, I transitioned from a struggling seed into a beautiful germination. From a struggling seed to a Parent Advisor and Mentor for other parents of deaf children within a peer group called Thrive. Sharing my journey, my knowledge, and the daily hacks of life became a way to heal and to serve.

Pioneering a Visual Lexicon

The depth of sign language is misunderstood; many assume it's universal. It's not. A fun fact: each country has its own culture and dialect woven into its sign language. My learning centered on South African Sign Language (SASL), which is distinct, catering to our local culture. It was at this time where the beautiful phrase that sticks with me to this day is: one size doesn't fit all. Not only is sign language not universal, but there are also different sign systems, such as Pidgin Signed English (PSE) and Signing Exact English (SEE). The letter in the beginning just changes depending on the country: for example, South African Sign Language is (SASL) and American Sign Language is (ASL).

This drive to create solutions where there were none was never more evident than when I decided to homeschool him. Homeschooling was a challenge, especially in a time when it was still unconventional in South Africa. But my faith and love for my son propelled me forward. I became his interpreter, his advocate, and his guide. I had to create my own curriculum and, to my knowledge, became the first South African mother to homeschool a deaf child.

To further celebrate the visual art and the nature of this language to show the world its power I now take music, create short videos, and sign the lyrics. This act is not simply transcription; it’s performance art more than anything, we need to feel it! It is the translation of vibration into light and motion, showcasing the body art and the sheer, breathtaking beauty of the visual performance. It transforms a fleeting melody into a cinematic sequence of gestures, where every beat, every pause, every emotion is captured and held perfectly still in the hands.

This journey has been a testament to the power of a mother's heart, proving that when the world says something is impossible, the greatest art form is simply to move forward with blind faith and belief that my plan was designed by God who showed up loud in the silence. The language we share is silent, yet it speaks volumes of resilience, grace, and the unbreakable bond painted on the canvas of the air.

“The language we share is silent, yet it speaks volumes of resilience, grace, and the unbreakable bond painted on the canvas of the air.”

Written by: Whenlee Chetty